How To Get Valve Springs Off Without Tool: Step-By-Step Guide

Removing valve springs can be difficult if you do not have specialty tools, but it is not impossible. To learn how to get valve springs off without tool, keep reading for a step-by-step guide using only basic tools that you probably already have in your collection.

How To Remove Valve Springs Without Special Tools

What You’ll Need

  • Drill
  • 3A socket with extension
  • Sledgehammer
  • Magnetic item
  • Gloves for protection

1.      Put On Gloves

Safety comes first. Put on gloves to protect your digits from rough metals and accidental slips of the hand.

2.      Remove Intake Cam

The intake cam sits overtop the springs. If you don’t remove the intake cam, there’s no way to remove the valve springs.

To remove the shaft, use a drill to remove the cam caps. Once removed, place the cam caps to the side in the order that they need to be placed back on the head. Then, lift up the camshaft and wiggle it to remove it entirely.

3.      Remove Rocker Arms

You also have to remove the rocker arms. Just pick them up and set them to the side. Set them in the order that they should be placed on the head.

4.      Remove Intake Valves

There are several ways that you can remove the intake valves. For every method, you are applying pressure on the spring. This will push the keepers out. There are specific tools designed for this step, but you can do it without these specialty tools. You can get the job done with a 3A socket with an extension.

All you need to do is place the socket over the intake valves. Hold it steady and tap the top a couple of times with a sledgehammer. These first few hits will loosen the keepers. Hit the top of the extension firmly once or twice to remove the keepers and valve. You might need to hit the valve springs firmly before they come loose.

5.      Pick Up The Keepers

Use a magnetic tool to pick up the keepers that fell. This step can be done with a simple magnetic head screwdriver. Any type of magnet will be able to pick up the keepers easily and efficiently.

6.      Repeat

Repeat steps 3 and 4 on all the intake valves and keepers. Don’t move on to step 6 until all the intake valves and keepers are all accounted for and out of the way.  

7.      Remove Stems

Lift up the head and push the stems out. If the stems are bent, it will take more effort to remove them from the head.

8.      Put Back Together

Now, you have successfully removed all the valve springs without any special tools. You can fix the head or replace the valves springs as needed. Make sure to put everything back together again and in the same order as before to ensure that the entire head is fixed up and ready to go.

Final Thoughts

We hope that this has helped you learn how to get your valve springs off without any specialty tools. Go slow at first so that you get the hang of things and do not risk damaging the internal parts.

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